Method and apparatus for determining the result of treatment of material



Oct. 13, 1931. B, JOHNSEN METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING THERESULT OF TREATMENT OF MATERIAL Filed Aug. 7. 1929 INVENTOR flue/v:Jam/am BY dwmfl i ATTORNEY E A E PATENT- OFFICE l i 1 v I I BJABNEJOHHIEN, OF ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASBIGNOB TO HAIHERKILL PAPER (301-- OIERIE, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA IETEOD AND APPARATUSFOR DETERMINING THE RESULT OI TREATMENT OF MATERIAL Application fledAugiut '2, 1929., Serial no. $34,109.

The present invention has for an object to make improved provision forobserving the efiect of treatment of cellulose fibers. In the productionof. cellulose fibers to be '5 used in the manufacture of paper, fiberboard,

rayon or other cellulose products there are in commercial use threeprincipal processes -the bisul hite. process, the soda process and thesul ate process. There are also mod- '10 ifications of these processesas well as other processes which have not as yet gained the same commrcial importance. The object of all'these ocesses is to dissolve fromwood and other vegetable materials, the lignins 1 and resins and otherincrusting matter yielding a pulp which consists of more or less purecellulose fibers. These processes are usually carried out at elevatedtemperature and pressure and in very large closed vessels.

The economy is largely dependent upon the yields and quality obtainedfrom the various'vegetable raw materials which vary with the differentmaterials and with the same materials grown in different localities.

* It is comparatively easy to determine'the quality of the cellulosefibers obtained but it is extremely difiicult to determine the yield bweight, that is, the yield of bone dry pulp o tained from a certainweight of bone dry vegetable raw material. The principal reason for thedifliculty is that the digesting vessels are so large (reaching in someinstances a capacity of twenty-five tons of pulp or more) that it isi-mpractical if not impossible to determine with accuracy the weight ofthe raw material as well as the weight of the resulting cellulose fiber.

According to the present invention the yield. and quality of pulpobtained in such large cooking vessels can be accurately determined byattaching to'the large vessel a vessel of small size in which a smallquantity of the vegetable material is subjected to exactlythe sameconditions as obtain in the large vessel.

The nature and objects of the invention will be better understood from adescription of a particular embodiment thereof for the purpose of whichdescription reference satisfactory results may be obtained iftheadshould be'had tothe accompanying drawings forming a part hereof andin which- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of an apparatus constructed inaccordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view showing anarrangement of a number of auxiliary chambers which can be opened atdifferent times.

The illustrative apparatus shown comrises a main digester '5 of usualtype for use ln'treating the cellulose fibers and suitably connected tothis digester a small auxiliary chamber 6 which may be for example oftwo or three gallon capacity and in which a small measured quantity ofcellulose fibers may be treated. A removable basket 7 for holding thevegetable material is preferably provided'to facilitate removal of thematerial for examination. The cover 8 of the auxiliary vessel isremovably secured as by suitable bolts 9.

Provision is made for maintaining a circulation of cooking liquor fromthe main digester through the auxiliary chamber in order that themeasured weight of fiber therein may be subjected to the same treatmentas that within the main digester. To this end the pipe 10 leads theliquor from the digester through valve .14 to the auxiliary chamber anda secondpipe 12 discharges the liquor from the top of the auxiliarychamber through valve 15 which can be regulated so as to secure thedesired uniform flow through the auxiliary chamber. The flow of liquormay also be regulated by means of an orifice placed after valve 15. Thequantity of liquor thus discharged from the digester is not 7sufiiciently large to be of detrimental influence upon the cookingprocess. Ordinarily justment is such that the liquor will be changedcompletely in the auxiliary chamher in about fifteen minutes. Should ithowever be considered desirable to return the liquor to the digesterthis can be effected by a pump 13 placed between valve 15and thedigester in pipe 12. The auxiliary chamber and the connections theretotogether with the removable basket must be made of or lined 100 testsmay be made upon the material to be iary chamber when the digester ischarged.

At thestart of the cooking process, valve 14 is'opened wide and valve15. is opened sufliciently to maintain a suitable circulatlon of thecooking liquor through the auxiliary chamber. At the end of the cookinthe valves may be closed, the cover'o iliary chamber removed and theweighed quantity of treated fiber removed for examination. -The dryweight ofthe fiber, the yleld as well as the quality can be 'determmed.In-

asmuch as access may be had to the auxiliary chamber without disturbingthe digester, material in this chamber at any time during the cookingprocess to determine the progress-of the cooking, if'desirable. 1

Ordinarily the provision of one auxiliary chamber is sufiicient fortesting purposes but it will be understood that if desired a lurality ofsimilar chambers may be provided at different levels. In the drawingsthere are shown connecting pipes 16 at difierent levels to which similarauxiliary apparatus can be connected if so desired.

If desired a number of similar auxiliary chambers 20, 21, 22, may bearranged in series as'indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 2 in which casethe chambers may be opened one at a time and the material removed forinspection without disturbing the other chambers.

The foregoing particular description is illustrativemerely and is notintended as defining the limits of the invention.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for treating material comprising a main digester,chamber adapted to receive a small quantity of the raw material-to betreated, and means for maintaining a circulation of liquor from the maindigester through .the auxiliary chamber, substantially as described.

2. An apparatus for treating material com prising a main digester, anauxiliary chamber having a removable cover, a material retaining basketremovably positioned in said auxiliary chamber and means formaintaininga circulation from the main digester through the auxiliarychamber, substantially as described.

3. An apparatus for treating material comprising a main digester, anauxiliary chamber associated therewith and means for temporarilymaintaining a circulation of liquor from the main digester through theauxiliary chamber to permit treatment of a relatively small measuredquantity of material in said auxiliary chamber, substantially asdescribed.

4. The process of determining the yield and qualityobtained from thetreatment of e auxiliary chamber,

an auxiliary vegetable material in the digester whichcompriseshsimultaneously treating a relatively small measured quantityof similar material in an auxiliary chamber separate from the maindigester while maintaining a flow of liquid from the main digesterthrough the scribed.

5. An apparatus for treating material comprising a main digester, aseries of auxiliary chambers associated therewith, each adapted toreceive a smallquantity of the raw material to be treated,.andmeans formaintaining a circulation of liquor from the main digester through theauxiliary chambers.

6. A method of determining the yield and quality obtained from the tablematerial in a digester which comprises maintaining the material in aplurality of auxiliary chambers and maintaining a flow of liquid fromthe main digester through the auxiliary chambers.

7.. A method of determining the yield and quality obtained from thetreatment of vegetable material in a digester which comprises,maintaining small measured quantities of the material in a plurality ofauxiliary chambers, maintaining a flow of liquid from the main digesterthrough the auxiliary chambers, and separately removing the contentsfrom said auxiliary chambers after different name to this specificationthis fifth day of July, 1929.

BJARNE JOHNSEN.

treatment of vege-- small measured quantities of substantially as de-

